Is There a Role for Social Media in Senior Living Marketing?

It is nearly impossible to get through the day without hearing the term social media. The massive amount of media coverage Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites are receiving have many of our clients asking – so what’s the relevance to us, should we be jumping on the social media bandwagon?

No doubt social media has exploded in recent years and definitely has impacted the way people communicate and gather information. And we’re seeing the early signs that it is impacting how seniors interact, too. A study by Forrester Research indicates that the boomers and seniors display similar habits to other groups who use social media, such as reading and occasionally commenting on blogs, watching online video, listening to podcasts, reading and contributing to online ratings. A growing number are joining social networking web sites such as Facebook.

As we see it, there is enough evidence to suggest communities begin to lay the foundation for social media success in the future. We are not saying retirement communities should abandon tried-and-true tactics for reaching prospective residents. But for some communities, social media may be a way to enhance and build upon their more traditional efforts.

There are a number of ways retirement communities can use social media to generate awareness and visibility among a variety of audiences including the media, as reporters and editors are turning to social media venues to find stories and connect with sources. However, you need a plan and a commitment. Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc., can be very effective tools, but they are just that – tools. In considering a plan, ask:

• Do you want to engage seniors, adult children, professional influencers or the media?
• Do you want to “talk” or just listen to what people are saying and comment when appropriate?
• Managing your social media endeavors is the hardest part! Who is responsible for updates?
• If you blog, can you commit to posting at least once a week, if not more often? What’s the plan for responding to comments – positive and negative? How will you promote your blog?

And another important question: What are the success measures? If you get involved in social media today, you probably won’t get many followers right away. However, success accrues over time and may occur in small doses across several forums. Social media monitoring and analytics are critical to seeing progress.

So, is social media a good way to market a retirement community? The base of seniors and boomers who use social media will continue to grow. The communities that are the early adopters will be the ones positioned to reap the benefits once the tipping point is reached. Social media can reinforce transparency, bring your community to life online and enable communities to engage decision makers in ways they couldn’t do just 2-3 years ago. Those are all incredible benefits. But there is a price – not necessarily in dollars, but in time and a commitment to stick with it. If you are ready to make social media a routine part of your day, then it’s a great way to lay the foundation for a marketing channel that is growing in importance.

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